Just a Conversation and a Coffee Right?
by YouHaveStolenMyHeart
Summary: They've both been let down by love. Darcy broke his heart, Craig broke hers. Maybe they can heal one another.
1. Chapter 1

**This is why I should not be awake at three in the morning! Here's a new idea I had. Ellie and Spinner would have been good together, imo, and here's what I like to think would have happened had the terrible 'Spaige' reunion not occured. Or 'Jeslie' for that matter. Shudder. I know where I want this to go, but any suggestions/constructive criticism always welcome. Reviews are love. **

Ellie sat tapping her fingernails on the counter, watching the world pass her by. This was her usual state of mind at the moment: since Craig had left, there had been a void. Sure, Craig was a jerk but she couldn't switch her feelings off.

"Miss Nash, are you going to order or just sit staring at me all day?" She felt herself sit up and acknowledge Spinner in front of her, wearing his Dot tee shirt.

"I wasn't staring at you!" She hit back, realizing too late that he was making a joke, then covering herself with an embarrassed laugh.

"Sure you were" He replied simply with a big smile that always looked dorky and cute at the same time.

"So, what do you own this place now or something? King Spinner, Master of The Dot Empire" Ellie couldn't help but tease him slightly: whenever she saw him he was wearing his Dot tee shirt proudly. He probably even slept in it.

Spinner nodded solemnly. "They're actually putting up a statue of me outside" He deadpanned with a smile.

Ellie couldn't help but laugh: Spinner never failed to make her laugh. Funny was his thing.

"The only thing I'm missing is a queen..." He continued, winking at her playfully. Ellie leaned forward and indicated for him to move closer. He willingly complied.

When she was close to him, she whispered in his ear "With great power comes great responsibility, and you, my friend, would let it all go to your head" With that, she patted him on the cheek and turned to leave.

"Want a coffee? On the house?" He piped up, clutching her hand before she could go.

She frowned slightly. "You're that desperate for conversation?" She asked, truly puzzled by his sudden urge for company.

"Yes." He admitted, slumping down on the counter. Ellie instinctively sat back down, realizing he did actually want to talk.

"What's wrong?" She asked gently, using the same tone she had heard a thousand times from Paige or Marco ever since Craig had stamped on her heart.

"I miss Darcy" He said. "I miss the way she believed in me. I miss the way she would look me in the eye and tell me that she loves me. I miss who I was when I was with her" In a moment of almost poetic realization, Spinner showed himself to be someone who really cared about others.

Ellie was shocked. "Wow, Spin, who knew you had a heart?" She laughed lightly, but she saw the pain in his eyes, just like she'd seen the pain in her own eyes when seeing her reflection.

"I'll take you up on that coffee offer, if you're interested?" She asked with a small smile.

Spinner grinned back and nodded decisively. "Excellent, want to drop round here at six? We close and we can talk. I mean, not like a date..." He tried to backtrack, realizing how it sounded.

A quick shake of Ellie's head stopped him in his tracks. "No, it's cool, just a conversation and a coffee with an old friend" She clarified, turning to leave and this time succeeding.

As she let the door shut behind her, she felt a smile creep onto her lips. This could be the start of a great friendship.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, here's chapter 2. I know it's not got any Spinner/Ellie in, but I absolutely adore the Marco/Paige/Ellie interactions in the show, and I wanted to attempt a bit, I promise there will be more of the good stuff soon. Thanks for the feedback so far, hope you like where this is going! **

"Ellie, I have a proposition for you!" Paige fell back on the sofa beside her, a grin painted on to her face.

"Yes?" Ellie drawled, already hating the idea before she even knew what it was. It's not that she was ungrateful: she loved that her friends cared for her. It was just that their 'cheer up Ellie' routine had gone stale pretty quickly. She hated being the one they had to tiptoe around. The one they looked at with patronizing smiles and concerned glances. She hated it.

"Film night tonight!" Marco burst in right on cue, hurtling himself at the sofa and sitting on Ellie's other side. Great. She was surrounded by the creepy twins and their happy charade.

"We have chick flick galore!" Paige announced, waving Clueless and Mean Girls in front of her face. Ellie grabbed the dvds and placed them face down on the coffee table in front of them. "You have GOT to be kidding me."

Paige and Marco burst out laughing, as Marco produced 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' and 'The Hills Have Eyes' from behind his back. "We were!" He got out between fits of hysteria.

"Where's the laughing gas?" Ellie asked, folding her arms and showing her friends in no uncertain terms that she was Not Impressed.

"Oh, Nash, cheer up!" Paige demanded sulkily, wrapping her arms around her friend. Ellie smiled a little at this: when it came down to it, they were the two most important people in her life.

"Fine, our laughter was fake. But we only do it because we care" Marco admitted guiltily, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, we love you and we wish you weren't so strung up over Craig, hon" Paige told her plaintively, spelling it out in a way only Paige could.

Ellie rested her head on Paige's shoulders whilst the used-to-be Queen Bee stroked her hair. Who would have thought the former enemies would end up best friends?

"I just... it's as if he's the building I'm falling from, and the safety net at the bottom. I can't let him go" She said, struggling with her own honesty.

Marco took her hand and squeezed it a little too hard. "Ow!" Ellie grabbed it and glared at Marco. "What did you do that for, Del Rossi?" She demanded.

"We're acting like someone's died! It's only Craig Manning, and he's not that great of a kisser!" Marco announced with a triumphant smile, knowing that he had the capabilities to bring Ellie back down to earth when she was feeling down and letting things get to her.

Before he let his roommates have a chance to speak, he continued. "So, my single amigos, we are going to watch some gore, eat some food and enjoy ourselves tonight. OK?" He asked, in a way that meant neither of them were allowed to disagree.

"Actually... I'm busy tonight." Ellie muttered, wincing as she felt two sets of eyes stare at her accusingly.

Paige sat up, affronted. "Ellie, you cannot bail on movie night, it's tradition!" She said, slamming her hand on the coffee table for emphasis and succeeding in breaking a freshly manicured nail. "Now look what you made me do!" She wailed, staring at her fingernails woefully.

"Tradition? We've done it once before and we all fell asleep before the end credits! Besides, I'm going out with Spinner" Ellie finally bit the bullet and told her friends the truth.

Paige stopped mourning over her nail and looked confused.

"Er, hon, a rebound with Spinner? Not advisable" She said in a superior tone.

"It's not a rebound. It's a coffee at The Dot. A non-date with a friend. That's all" With that, Ellie stood up and marched to her room, leaving her two friends staring wordlessly after her.


End file.
